Everyone has a safe haven. For many people, that feeling of comfort is found in movies. The feeling of completely and utterly immersing oneself into an alternative world is a liberating experience that so many find comfort with. Why? Because we see ourselves in the characters on screen. Movies are supposed to provoke emotion, it’s their most vital purpose. “The cinema has the power to make you not feel lonely, even when you are,” said actor Tom Hanks.
In My Fathers House is a compelling documentary by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg that premiered on April 16th at the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival. This story closely follows hip-hop artist and songwriter Che “Rhymefest” Smith from the moment he purchases his childhood home on Chicago’s South Side due to his nostalgia and longing to carry out his family legacy. Che is an American hip hop artist who released his first album, Blue Collar, in 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West’s Grammy winning song “Jesus Walks” and recently won a Golden Globe and Oscar for his song “Glory” which appeared in Selma. Longing to reconnect with his estranged father, he sets out to build a relationship with him. He soon finds out that his father has been a homeless alcoholic for the past twenty-years and makes it his mission to get him back on his feet.
I define a successful movie as one that is able to move me. So much so, that when I leave the theatre and go about my life I carry the film with me. Not only was I emotionally satisfied by the end of the film, but I couldn’t wait to get home so I could pour my feelings into words. Over the course of the Tribeca Film Festival, I had the opportunity to see many films that left me feeling emotionally satisfied. Whether that be the highly anticipated documentary, Kurt Cobain: A Montage of Heck, or a feel good thriller-comedy like Ashby, I define the success of that film in the amount of emotion is provokes within me.
This film was particularly moving because it touched upon a universal topic: family. We all come from somewhere and Che expressed the importance of knowing where that place is. He spoke about forgiveness and how we all need to learn how to give it in order to move forward.
After the film the directors along with Che, his father, and his wife, all stuck around for a Q&A. I was definitely not the only teary eyed person in the audience after the Q&A wrapped. I glanced around and saw some reaching for kleenex and others frantically trying to wipe away their runny makeup. The emotion that seeped through the words of every question asked was genuine. These individuals were simply so thankful that this film was made because they were able to see themselves in it.
A particularly striking moment was when a young woman started recounting her story to the filmmakers and the subjects of the film. She saw a large part of her life in this film and started explaining how her grandfather was an alcoholic as well. Her father constantly tried to support him but got fed up with his behaviour one day. On the verge of breaking down, this audience member told us that her grandfather died of a heart attack following the fight and was found four days later. Silence swept over the room and the family called her up for a hug. All this woman wanted to express to Che and his father was that they needed to hold on and cherish their relationship with Che’s father despite the obstacles.
Isn’t that what film should do? Give a platform and a voice to people who have encountered similar hardships? After seeing the film, how could that audience member not feel a sense of comfort knowing that she’s not alone in her struggle.
Though the audience take aways from In My Fathers House certainly varied according to their personal experiences, everyone took something away. You were moved not only because you are human, but because you have a family and the thought of losing them is unbearable. Through Che’s relationship to his father, I realized how incredibly thankful I should be to have present, supporting parents in my life. I also learned to fight for people who matter to me, despite their flaws. Cinema’s primary focus should be to execute and bring global truths to life. Judging from my takeaway and those around me in the theatre, this documentary truly shines a light on how powerful film has the capacity to be.
Sydney is a current Junior studying Journalism & Design at Eugene Lang and the Co-Editor-In-Chief of The New School Free Press. She spends a questionable amount of time responding to emails, remembering coffee orders for her various internships, producing films & frolicking around the Lower East Side where she’s living her New York dream of occupying a bedroom with a brick wall.
